RECREATION

More than two years later, cyclist's hit-and-run death still unsolved

Running injury sends LeBlanc to the pool for aqua jogging

By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, November 07, 2008

It's been more than two years since Gay Simmons-Posey was struck and killed while riding her bike on Loop 360. And still, the driver who hit her and fled the scene has not been found.

Last week her brother, Scot Simmons of Ruston, La., returned to Austin to meet with Al Bastidas, founder of the Please Be Kind To Cyclists campaign. The organization strives to improve harmony between motorists and cyclists, and Simmons got involved after losing his sister.

"We want to keep other families from going through the same loss my family is," Simmons says.

Simmons-Posey, 40, was riding north on Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway) on an April afternoon in 2006 when she crossed the exit ramp for Bee Cave Road. A trailer hauled by a van swerved and clipped her. She fell off her bike and was hit by another vehicle, described as gray or silver. The driver of the van stopped, but the second driver did not, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

"Certainly it's something we'd like to get solved," says DPS spokeswoman Tela Mange.

Simmons-Posey was an experienced cyclist and was training for the BP MS150 Bike Tour from Houston to Austin when she died. She was wearing a bike helmet. Her loss has changed her brother's life.

"It still hurts. I miss her every minute. Gay was my best friend," Simmons says.

He keeps a photo of his sister on his cell phone so she is always close by. He misses the daily phone chats he and his sister once had. And he's determined to make some good come from her death.

Simmons believes that laws should require cyclists to obtain licenses and wear helmets. That, he says, would give them legal rights.

"Until people are held accountable, there is not going to be a respect for that cyclist on the road," Simmons says. "We get very complacent. Until you lose that person, you don't know the pain."

Anyone who has information about Simmons-Posey's death is asked to call DPS at 997-4131.

A training setback

My marathon training has suffered a setback — a "sproinged" calf muscle.

A couple of weeks ago, while running slowly up a long incline, I felt something in my right leg give. I slowed to a walk and hobbled back to my cousin's house in Pasadena, Calif.

I knew immediately I'd tweaked something. I suffered a similar injury in the other leg last year, while I was training for the half-marathon. Only that time it was worse. It actually popped, like someone had shot me in the calf with a BB gun. It took nine weeks before I could run again.

This time, I figured I'd lay off for a couple of days, then be right back in the game. But when I tried to run a few days later, the pain returned with an extra bang. I talked to my running coach, Cindy Henges at Rogue Running, and made an appointment to see orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ted Spears.

The diagnosis? A slight tear where the muscle and ligament join in my right calf. The prescription? Physical therapy. No running. And lots of water jogging and foot-strengthening exercises.

I've invested nearly $40 in a pale blue foam belt called an Aqua Jogger. I've enlisted everyone I can find to join me in the pool to experience the mind-numbing effects of running on the hamster wheel to nowhere. I've gone to physical therapy.

And I've learned something : Proper shoe fit is critical.

With one look at my pancake-flat feet, the orthotic specialist at Sports Performance International said, "Nice flippers." To which I replied, "That's why I'm a swimmer."

Honestly, though, I had no idea my feet were flatter than most or that they pronated so much. She ordered me out of the brand-new running shoes I'd only worn three or four times. They didn't provide enough arch support, and caused my foot to roll in, putting extra stress on my calf. That might have contributed to the injury. This week, I exchanged them for the more supportive pair she recommended.

I also talked with Derick Williamson, winner of the 2007 AT&T Half Marathon and co-founder of Source Endurance, which designs custom fitness programs for athletes. He suspects that my injury might have been caused by increasing my running a little too quickly. It's tricky, he says. I'm cardiovascularly fit from swimming, but my legs aren't accustomed to the pounding. They can't keep up with my heart. I also might be doing my long runs at too quick a pace for my body.

Everyone seems to think it's a minor setback, and I'll be back to my regular running schedule in a matter of weeks.

In the meantime, I'm still swimming with my swim team. I'm also walking and doing some light cycling.

And concentrating hard on healing my calf.

Swim or trot

We have two cool events coming up.

Of special note? The 2008 Quarries Open Water Festival, to be staged Saturday by the American Swimming Association.

I swam in this event a couple of years ago, and loved cruising through the 15-acre spring-fed lake hidden just off MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) at the Hyde Park Church Recreational Facility. Swimmers can compete in 400-meter, 800-meter and 1-mile individual races and a 1-mile (4 by 400 meter) relay.

Check in and warm-up starts at 8:15 a.m.; the first race starts at 9 a.m. Entry fees are $50 for one event and $15 for each additional event ($30 if relay only). Participants must be members of the American Swimming Association, which costs $20.

For more information, go to www.americanswimmingassociation.com or call race director Keith Bell at 327-2260.

Don't want to feel guilty about your annual Thanksgiving chow-down? Sign up and run the 2008 ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot.

The largest 5-mile run in Texas can help you burn off some of the excess calories you know you'll eat that day. The race (and also a 1-mile walk) start at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 27 at Waterloo Park, 12th at Trinity streets. More than 10,000 participants are expected.

Registration is $20 ($25 race week) for the untimed run or $25 for the timed run ($30 race week). For more information, go to www.thundercloud.com. Proceeds benefit Caritas of Austin.

pleblanc@statesman.com; 445-3994